Stitching The Winter Away

Only a small wind but a biting one is coniving to keep us indoors these days. It is dropping the temperature to extreme below zero numbers.  I shovelled the front steps with my face covering balaclava on and doubled my mittens but my fingers still burned with the cold by the time I was done.  Fortunately, the forecast is for a break soon, one that will involve freezing rain.
 It is not only above the fiftieth parallel that life requires fortitude to live. LOL

 As long as I don't have to drive in it, I say.
That sums up how I basically feel about bad weather. All this snow and ice is a good excuse to stay inside and putter and catch up on reading, Pinterest and stitching, is the way my brain computes it.  Hubby too, has been spending time in his work area of the basement, getting some small jobs cleared off his work bench.  The real weather discontents in our family are the dogs. Walks have been shortened as Murphy, especially, gets cold feet and bitterly protests wearing shoes, silly girl.

Here she is hogging the heat at the farm back in 2014.

Part of our preparedness is having our Aladdin Lamps ready in case we lose the power. So far, there's not been a flicker.

I do this now.
Chop all the things to make a large salad, cover with saran wrap and use over a couple of days.  It all keeps well and a salad is ready to go.

Karen at Quilts....Etc. shared her Instant Pot Cheesecake which looked delicious and got me thinking.  Can my slow cooker make cheesecake? I looked it up and why yes, it can! Duly noted! I love my food treats and am thankful to still have a good appetite.
Karen also, besides her beautiful quilting, has been sharing her organization of scraps, strings, etc. So neat and tidy. Check it out. Mine are a jumbled mess.

Meanwhile I made another large batch of these Robin Hood Flour Bran Muffins; I added dates, almonds and craisins to mine. Maybe that's why they didn't rise like they should have, but boy, they are really moist and tasty. And go well with cheese.

 I loved watching this little video below.
The very artsy/elegant and expensive Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada uses all locally crafted items including quilts sewn by local women on the beds.  I was delighted to see the quilts were not like the highfaluting ones being made nowadays, but instead mostly simpler versions like what our grandmothers made.

So would you rather sew than eat?
They embroider their names on the quilt labels and I can imagine what fun it must be to think that Oprah or Gwenyth Paltrow or the prime minister slept under your quilt!

Thanks to all the indoor time, I'm making headway on the center basket of my Cornwall Cottage Sampler.  Did I realize how big this was when I started, I wonder. It is taking me well into my retirement. :)

But then it's hard to finish what you're not working on, as the saying goes.
Because I continue to juggle a number of WIPs.  I've been laying some hand quilting stitches on one of my Kim McLean Glorious Applique blocks.  I'm using the hera marker for this and it's working well on this particular white fabric.

Glorious colours too- to work with on dull winter days.
Happily linking with Not Afraid of Color for lots of Thursday Likes.
Also linking this post with Super Mom No Cape, Brian's Home Blog, The Needle and Thread Network, Sew Fresh Quilts, Wendy's Quilts and More,  The Inquiring Quilter and My Quilt Infatuation.